Flow-operated switch



Patented Aug. 13, 1940 UNIT STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOW-OPERATED SWITCH Application April 12, 1939, Serial No. 267,518

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in flowoperated switches and is especially adapted for use in automatic sprinkler systems and is designed to be installed in the system in connec- 5 tion with an annunciator whereby when the sprinkler of any particular branch line, or in a room, or of a particular floor in a building, is set into operation, the alarm will be given and the particular location of the operating sprinkler will in be indicated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of a switch which may readily be attached to any pipe of an installed sprinkler system without breaking any of the pipe con- 16 nections.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a flow-operated switch so constructed that the pipes in which the switches are installed may be drained without the back fiow of water 20 operating the switch.

The invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of the parts and combination of parts hereinafter more fully set forth [in the following specification and pointed out 25 in detail in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of a pipe having my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2.2 of Fig- 30 ure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3 showing the position of the switch blade when the pipe 35 is being drained.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views thereof, 1 designates a pipe ,having .an opening 2 through which the lug 3 of the plate 4 projects. The sides of the plate 4 extend downwardly around the pipe and have ,ears 5 through which the threaded ends of the rod 6 project. The threaded ends i of the rod 6 45 are provided with nuts 8 by means of which the plate 4 is drawn down tightly on the pipe I. The plate 4 is provided with a screw-threaded aperture 9 into which is screwed the screw-threaded bearing l which has its upper surface concaved 50 to receive the rubber ball II. The rod l2 projects through the rubber ball II and has a head 13 on its upper end. The lower end of the rod 12 projects into the pipe I and has a metal strip I4 pivoted to its lower end and a blade l riveted, or otherwise secured, to the metal strip 14. The said blade i5 is circular in shape and substantially the same circumference as the inner circumference of the pipe I and is made of a very re- 5 silient material sothat it can be bent around and inserted through the hole 2 in the pipe I and will spring back into its normal fiat shape when released inside of said pipe I. Secured to the upper surface of the plate 4 is a piece of nonconducting material 16 held to the said plate 4 by the screws ll. Secured to the upper surface of the said non-conducting material I6 is a rigid contact blade 18 and a resilient contact blade 19 which are normally together at their upper ends and which are provided with wires 20 leading to an electric supply and signal system. When the device is in the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing, and the pipe I is filled with water, should there be a discharge of water by any of the sprinklers in the system, the fiow of the water would be against the blade 15, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 3 of the drawing, which would cause the rod I2 to be thrown over against the resilient blade I9 and move the latter out of contact with the blade l8, causing the annunciator, or other electric signal, to be thrown into operation. When the pipe is to be drained, the How of water would be as indicated by the arrow in Figure 4 of the drawing, which simply tilts the blade 15 without operating the switch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a flow-operated switch the combination with a pipe having a hole in the circumference thereof, a curved plate fitted over the outer surface of said pipe and having a boss on its lower surface and projecting into the hole in said pipe, 2. piece of insulating material secured to the upper surface of said plate, a rigid contact plate secured to said insulating material, a flexible contact plate secured to said insulating material and normally in contact with said rigid contact plate, a rod pivoted in said first-named plate and having its upper end projecting between said two contact plates and its lower end projecting into said pipe, and a circular blade substantially the same circumference as the inner circumference of the said pipe and pivoted to the lower end of said rod and adapted to swing in one direction only.

GEORGE E. BOGUE.

1940. H. 1.. BONE ET AL 2,211,554

SPEED RESPONSIVE DEVICE Filed April 30, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS ffezzbem L. 3on9 and kfofm Lz'ozhyaan. "BYM THEIR ATTORNEY 

